


friday #790604

by blueplutoberry



Series: 7 days (a week) [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Dancing, Drabble, Drinking, M/M, Strangers, Zhong Chen Le-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 10:08:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28469565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueplutoberry/pseuds/blueplutoberry
Summary: friday is for "neon lights, sweet cravings, a little bit drunk, falling in love with a stranger, remembering your dreams, cherry red, late night showers, dessert at midnight"
Relationships: Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Series: 7 days (a week) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2085363
Kudos: 16





	friday #790604

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone in a new year which I'm starting with a new series. I've gotten inspired by this [tumblr post](https://esperides.tumblr.com/post/171178953245/tag-your-vibe) and realized that it would fit perfectly for 7dream. So here I am, with new already written series of 7 drabbles (one for each member), that i'm going to update everyday!!
> 
> There are a few tiny things that are changed comparing to the original post (like there is no shower but a bath or something like that), however I decided to leave the original in the summary. Hope it's okay.
> 
> Please tell me what you think about it, and once again happy new year! Hope this one will be better than the previous;;

The night bar in the middle of the city that no one really knows about, the neon lights with the name that Chenle has never really paid attention to, and if anyone would ask him about the name, he would just answer that it’s a friend’s bar. That’s it. He goes there almost every Friday night, drinks one or two glasses of wine, and returns slightly drunk to home. It's like a tradition that he’s been doing since he became an adult and could legally drink in bars. And he doesn’t know how or why this kind of tradition was created, but to be honest he doesn’t really care. Not that it was anything important anyway.

“Hi, hyung!” he says as he sits down on one of the stools by the bar. Jaemin, the bartender nods his head and doesn’t even wait for Chenle’s order. It’s always the same. A glass of red wine. Because Chenle fancies wine, definitely too much as for a normal 20 years old man. And at the beginning his friends - who were drinking mainly beer and vodka shots - were admiring him for his sophisticated taste in alcohol, but after an admiration wave, there came an ignorance and calling him old. Because only old people drink wine on friday nights, come on. Chenle disagreed but didn’t have a will to argue with them. It wouldn’t change his opinion and taste anyway, so he just decided to ignore them.

The bar is almost empty, but there are a few people sitting by the tables on the other side of the room. And there is slow jazz music playing in the background. Chenle loves the vibe of this place, and he would go there often, even if his friend wasn’t an owner. He wouldn’t have probably discovered this place, though. It’s not that popular, and it’s hard to notice it from the street just like that.

“Do you have something sweet there?” he asks, when Jaemin brought a glass and poured a wine in. He laughs.

“No, we don’t.” and there's a silence, as if he’s thinking about that. That maybe there is something but he simply forgot about it, because no one ever asks about such things in the bar. “Sorry, we only have alcohol and salty snacks.” he adds and Chenle shrugs. Salty snacks wouldn’t do, so he needs to wait until he goes back home, then.

“That’s a shame. I really crave something sweet right now.”

There is a small dance floor in the middle, where sometimes live bands play, or people - who’ve already drunk too much - dance. And every Friday, there is always someone who dances. Chenle likes to watch this person dance, while drinking wine. They are a great dancer, Chenle’s already noticed. 

After a while the music’s gotten quicker, not much, but enough for sharper moves, more expressive yet light-like, as if the person is already too drunk, but is such a great dancer that it just simply comes naturally. As if it’s a part of their nature to dance like this, with their eyes closed, feeling the vibe, feeling the beat in every part of their body. So beautiful, and so mesmerizing to watch. And without noticing, Chenle's drunk a whole glass of wine, and asks Jaemin for another. Not taking his eyes off the stranger.

The stranger makes a quick turn and is now looking at the bar, at the Chenle. And Chenle is sitting on the stool, holding his big glass, and is looking at the stranger, not knowing that it may be weird. That he may look like a creep. Their eyes meet for a second and it’s the longest second in Chenle’s life. Like in the movie, where music suddenly stops playing, and everything around stops and it’s only two of them in the world. And nothing beside them two matters. The stranger smiles. And his smile is beautiful, Chenle notices, just like his dancing. His eyes almost disappear and are now looking like two crescent moons, and he still moves his hips right and left, and waves his arms a little, but slowly. And after a while he stops. The song ends and he doesn’t want to dance any more. So he approaches the bar and sits down on the stool next to Chenle.

“Hi,” he says, and his voice is deep, and maybe a little hoarse. The effect of alcohol probably. He waves at Jaemin and orders a usual. Whatever his usual is.

“Hey,” Chenle answers and finally reciprocates the smile. Earlier too dumbfounded to do so. “You’re a good dancer.” he adds quickly, probably too scared that their conversation dies out too soon. And since they started to talk, it would be nice to continue. He wants to continue.

“Thank you.” he smiles again, but maybe he never stopped. Chenle is not sure. “I’m Jisung, by the way.” he reaches out his hand in Chenle's direction.

“I’m Chenle.” he answers and takes the other’s hand and greets him. “Nice to meet you.”

Jisung’s order came and they’ve talked for a while. Jisung is a dance instructor, Chenle found out. He started to dance when he was just 5 years old, and started teaching not long ago, but he already knows that this is his dream job. Something he’ll do as long as it’s possible, as long as his health lets him to. It’s always been his dream. Chenle finds it fascinating and envies it a little. The passion and everything. He remembers having such dreams when he was young. Well, younger at least. And he still has them, and he remembers them and he’s trying to achieve them, but sometimes it’s hard. He's happy that some people are able to achieve their dreams, though. It gives him a hope that he, one day, will achieve his as well.

“I’m afraid, I need to go already.” Chenle says. He looks at the watch and it’s already late. He never stayed that late in the bar. It was always two glasses of wine and right back home after that. And today he’s stayed longer and he’s drunk more, and he’s slightly drunk. He can feel it, but that’s okay. He has a strong head. And he doesn’t regret anything, because talking with the stranger, with Jisung, was definitely worth breaking his habits.

“Yeah, I’ll be going as well, actually.” Jisung answers, and both of them get up. Chenle shouts bye, hyung and see you next week. Jaemin is nowhere to be seen though, but Chenle doesn’t care about that. They go to the cloakroom for their coats. It's winter, after all. And it’s cold, but there is no snow yet, and it’s Chenle’s most hated time of the year, because of that. Because what’s the point of coldness if there’s no snow. The world is gray and ugly, and he doesn’t like that.

When they went outside, Chenle could finally see Jisung closely. In the natural light he has cherry red hair that looks beautifully on him. Covering his forehead, and highlighting his facial features. Small eyes with long eyelashes, and sharp cheekbones. Jisung is even more beautiful from up close, and Chenle can feel his cheeks get hotter. But if Jisung points it out, he’s going to blame it on cold weather.

“Let’s exchange our numbers, hm?” Jisung suggests and Chenle agrees quickly. Maybe too quickly, but he doesn’t care what the other would think about it. He’s going to blame whatever happened on alcohol. As always. It’s always someone else’s fault, not his. And exchange they did. Chenle saved his contact as a red wine stranger, and Jisung as a jazz dancer. They’re going to know who they are even if they forget about their encounter in the future. Chenle is sure he wouldn’t forget, though.

They bid the goodbyes in front of the bar’s entrance, on the empty street and under the bright neon, with unreadable characters. And each of them went different directions.

Chenle returns home not long before midnight and the first thing he’s doing is pouring hot water into a bathtub. Normally he would take a quick shower and go straight to bed, but today he is in a mood for a long bath. Laying in the tub and eating something sweet he’s still craving for. He probably still has some leftover cake from last week's birthday party in the fridge. 

He’s lied down in the tub, with a plate of cake in one hand and phone in the other, looking at a new contact. Thinking about the next encounter with Jisung. Normally they would meet again on friday, because that’s when Chenle always goes to the bar, and that’s when he always meets not-a-stranger-anymore. But with only a few clicks, with only a few messages, they can meet sooner. Under different circumstances. And seeing the possibilities he smiles, and he starts typing. And if he wakes up tomorrow, with no messages and only remorse for what he did - acting too fast, scaring Jisung away or something, which he’s sure wouldn’t happen, but who knows - he’s going to blame it on alcohol. As always.


End file.
